Review: The Aeneid by Virgil (Translated by Robert Fagles)

December 12, 2021

★★★★☆ - my main issue with this was definitely some of the choices made by the translator, not the tale itself. I buddy read this with my lovely friend Lorna over at Unexpectedlearningjourney which was such a wonderful experience, especially since she brought her Latin expertise to the table and did some amazing translations throughout our read along - some of which I will be including in this review! You should also check out her article on Moaninc all about learning Latin!

What is the Aeneid?

Before we get into my thoughts, lets introduce the text, it’s historical context and purpose in the ancient world. The Aeneid was written by the Roman poet Virgil who lived in the Early Roman Empire between 70-19BCE. As a sponsor of the first emperor of the Roman Empire, Augustus, The Aeneid tells the founding story of Rome with the Trojan hero Aeneas travelling through the Mediterranean to finally establish the lineage of Romulus and Remus and the Roman Empire. Aeneas, a Trojan and son of the goddess Venus, escaped from the sack of Troy and was told his destiny was to found a grand city in Italy. After some time on the sea, not unlike Odysseus on his long journey home after the Trojan War, Aeneas finds himself in Carthage and falls in love with the Queen, Dido. After spending six years on Carthage, Mercury reminds Aeneas of his purpose and departs Carthage, leaving a grief-stricken Dido who ends up throwing herself on a burning pyre.

Her phantom sifting through my fingers, light as wind, quick as a dream in flight. (102)

Once again reminiscent of Odysseus, Aeneas takes a journey to the underworld where he sees the shade of Dido, many a deceased Trojan and his father. Aeneas eventually makes it to Latium where war ensues led by Aeneas on the Trojan side and Turnus of the Rutuli - especially since the hand in marriage of the Princess Lavinia is at stake as well. In the final lines of the poem, Turnus is killed and Aeneas’ descendants Romulus and Remus would eventually establish the city of Rome. Virgil died without finishing the tale and asked his friend Lucius Varius Rufus to destroy it - and thankfully for us he didn’t! Although Virgil wasn’t too happy with the work before his death, Augustus was pleased and despite Virgil’s desire to have it destroyed, the emperor had it published instead. Why did Virgil compose the poem? The main reasons were to honour Augustus and praise him by highlighting his ancestors, and to show parallels between the protagonist, Aeneas and Augustus. At the time it was written, Rome was in a bit of political instability with the ending of the Roman Republic after the assassination of Julius Caesar and the dawn of the Roman Empire, and so the Aeneid was something of a parallel between the events that Aeneas lived through and the unsteady beginnings of Rome, and the instability the early Roman Empire was facing at the time.

The Aeneid not only alludes to The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, many facets of the tale is reminiscent of it. Plus, The Aeneid is actually where we get the tale of the Trojan horse which wasn’t mentioned in the Iliad and only referred to in the Odyssey, since much of the Epic Cycle now only survives to us in fragments. Sections such as the death of Pallas is reminiscent of the death of Patroclus, and the funeral games for Anchises is comparable to the funeral games of Patroclus. Of course there is also divine intervention with the gods and goddesses influencing the mortals like game pieces, although not to the same extent as in Homers tales. The epic poem covers themes of renewal and conflict, and unlike the Iliad and the Odyssey, it references and alludes to the historical past of Rome like the Punic Wars which can be summed up as Rome vs. Carthage and the destruction of Carthage.

Thoughts and Opinions

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this poem. Some books were slower than others, but some were so gripping that I didn't want to put the book down. Throughout the book I really enjoyed finding snippets that felt Homeric, especially the use of Homeric simile which occurred all throughout the story. I think that made it feel more cohesive, as if it wasn’t written down 800 years after Homer’s tales.

Most of my thoughts about this book will be focussed on translation and word choice - mainly because I truly think it let the story down. Buddy reading with Lorna who was reading a different translation (prose E.V. Riu) really illuminated some questionable choices in my edition, and therefore translations as a whole. It is such a personal thing, translation, and having learnt some Ancient Greek basics and talking to Lorna about the Latin throughout reading this book, the choices made by translators can really alter a passage, it’s the meaning and emphasis. There were little things like the choice of ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’ rather than ‘Olympus’ and ‘Hades’ or ‘Tartarus,’ they were definitely questionable choices, especially when looking back at the Latin and seeing the use of Tartarus in the original which happened a couple of times, for example:

“…crying out to Hecate, mighty Queen of Heaven and Hell.” (Fagles 6.183)
“…Hecate, mighty in the sky and mighty in Erebus.” (E.V.Riu)
“Hecaten caeloque Ereboque potentem” - Lorna’s literal translation “... Hecate, powerful in the sky and powerful in Erebus.”

There was the use of Persephone instead of Proserpina which was interesting, and the most frustrating thing was the consistent use of the word ‘awesome.’ Here’s an example-

“… the goddess in all her glory, just as the gods behold her build, her awesome beauty.” (Fagles 2.732-733).
“She revealed herself as a goddess as the gods in heaven see her, in all her majesty of form and stature.” (E.V.Riu pg. 42)
“... deam qualisque videri caelicolis et quanta solet'.” - Lorna’s translation “I beheld the goddess, just as the gods are accustomed to her, in her quantity of form and stature.”

Why you’d choose to use the word awesome is beyond me, and it happens all throughout the book. Of course sometimes it works, but other times, I felt like there were more appropriate words to use (like above). But in saying that, there were other lines that were so beautiful, some that were incredibly sad and some that were super gory. Overall it’s an interesting tale that documents the early ideology of the Roman Empire, and although I probably didn’t get as much out of it in terms of historical importance (I’m more of an Ancient Greek history gal), I still truly enjoyed delving into this. I loved that we got some strong female figures like Dido and Camilla, even though they both literally ended up dying which was disappointing. You can really understand the way women were seen from the Roman male’s perspective, with Dido committing suicide after Aeneas left her, Camilla the incredible warrior woman on par with the Amazons being killed after only 400 lines in the poem because she saw a shiny gold brooch and had to go for the plunder, and even Lavinia who was completely without agency throughout the tale and was simply a pawn used to incite war. It’s truly fascinating, especially with the continued theme from Homer’s poems of the gods using humans as their pawns to get their way - and one really interesting comparison was that of Aeneas, Lavinia and Turnus in the final few books to Paris, Helen and Menelaus. As if their battle over Lavinia’s hand in marriage was to the same degree as the Trojan War. It was so interesting having the figures in this story compare themselves to the Trojan war, and the way in which Aeneas was the link between Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. There are truly so many things I could comment on but it’s just impossible, so I should probably end my meaningless rambles here. HAH!

I’d love to learn more about this epic poem, to hear about your thoughts about The Aeneid and the things I brought up in this review! Make sure to comment below or find me over on Instagram. I am planning on re-reading this again at some point (as with The Iliad and The Odyssey), and I would love suggestions for different translations. Now that I’ve read the Fagles edition of this, I am not really interested in picking up The Iliad or The Odyssey in his translation because of the issues I had with The Aeneid, so any suggestions for any translations of any of these texts would be most welcome!✨

Review: Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome by L J Trafford

August 15, 2021

★★★★☆ I was provided with this ARC for a review from Netgalley

What’s the book about?

With this one, the entire premise of the book is in the title- Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome. Trafford begins by outlining the language used in Ancient Rome that has anything to do with sex or sexuality, she introduces these concepts and then explains them so you aren’t left lost throughout the book when they inevitably come up again. She then travels through the intricate and somewhat scandalous history of sex in Ancient Rome from the perfect virtuous man and the ideal chaste woman, to how to find a woman and who you are and are not meant to be seen fondling in the forum. She details erotic wall paintings and statues, the concept of witchcraft, the tantalising beauty and fashion and what was all the rage to help you pull on the streets of Rome. Not to mention, Trafford takes it upon herself to tell us all about the sexual exploits of the most well-known figures from Ancient Rome, and she does all this with ample evidence (both textual and archaeological). In short, Trafford answers everything you have ever wanted (and really not wanted) to know about sex and sexuality in Ancient Rome!

My thoughts on the book

Sex was very much on public display in ancient Rome. It was depicted in art, discussed in poetry, scrawled on walls and used in politics to smear your opponent. (x-xi)

This book was a massive undertaking, and may I say the L J Trafford understood the task and executed it incredibly well. In this book, you will find chapters named things like Getting Down to Business: Sex, Sexual Problems and Solutions, Undesirable Partners and How to be Sexy: Beauty and Fashion (just to give you an idea of the types of things discussed)! As a fairly short book (sitting at only 197 pages), Trafford condenses everything you need to know about the Romans in a way that is really easy to read. Her language is colloquial, and her quips and inputs into some of the debauchery that went on in Ancient Rome made me laugh out loud. With her hilarious commentary comes an obvious attempt to remove any modern bias that could be placed upon the way sex, marriage, relationships and all that was used and experienced in Ancient Rome. She reminds the reader over and over that there isn’t really any way we can fully understand the meanings behind the erotic images, or the social importance embedded into the rules and laws attached to relationships and sex, but we can do our best! I loved that as Trafford was discussing some facet of Roman sexual experience, she would then bring in detailed case studies and examples from history.

We simply cannot know because we do not share the same cultural background and baggage. The imagery and what it means is lost to us. (158)

Although sometimes Trafford seemed to take the poetry and writings of men like Ovid and Catullus at face value, often she used it to help build the whole picture around the topic she was handling at that time. It is unsurprising that the book was focused on men and boys and what was expected of them (both from an imperial lens, but also the freedmen and slaves) rather than women for the pure reason that we have a lot more information on men than women. With that being said, Trafford interspersed what we do know about women (imperial, slaves, prostitutes etc) throughout the book in what seemed like as much detail that was available. It was really wonderful to see different types of evidence (images, paintings, statues and literature), all used together to try and piece together just what sex was like in Ancient Rome, and although it was a quick tour, it was still detailed and highly enjoyable.

Review: The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper

May 30, 2021

This book was one of the easiest ★★★★★ I have ever given. I am lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to interview Elodie Harper about her book with World History Encyclopedia. You can find the video here and the condensed transcript on World History Encyclopedia. After you’ve finished watching my interview with Elodie, I would recommend you then head over to Erica’s YouTube channel MoanInc, where she has built off the questions I asked, and delved even deeper into the story with Elodie which you can find here!

What’s The Book About?

The Wolf Den is a novel by Elodie Harper which is set in Pompeii in the first century CE in Pompeii’s lupanar which is the brothel of the ancient city. The term ‘lupanar’ could mean both brothel or wolf den and the term ‘lupa’ could be used for both a she-wolf, or a prostitute. The novel follows the point of view of Amara, a greek woman born into a middle-class family, who had to be sold after her father died. She ended up as a prostitute in Pompeii, and works at the Wolf Den with four other women. However, Amara hasn't just accepted the misfortune which life has thrown her, and wants more than anything to be free. This novel, which is the first of a trilogy (yay!), follows Amara as she does whatever it takes to change her fate.

The skill of the fighters, the grace of the tigers, all of it is punctuated by acts of savagery. (217)

Historical and Archaeological Roots:

Before we get into my ~many~ thoughts and feelings concerning this book, let’s have a look at Pompeii, Pompeiian graffiti and Venus Pompeiana first. Pompeii is probably one of the most well known ancient cities along with places such as Rome and Athens, but it differs from many ancient cities because in 79 CE, the local volcano known as Vesuvius, erupted, and covered the city and its occupants in lava and ash. It would have been a catastrophic event for those in the ancient world, but it has proven to be invaluable to modern historians and archaeologists as an untouched insight into the daily lives of the Romans who lived in the city, and the neighbouring city of Herculaneum. Excavations at Pompeii have informed our understanding of life in the city in a way that no other site could. The volcanic eruption has preserved architecture, mosaics and wall paintings, bronze statues (which in any other circumstance probably would have been melted down and repurposed), houses, baked goods (look up Pompeii bread!), and writing which has been found in wax tablets, pottery, seals, tomb inscriptions, and probably most interestingly; graffiti. The survival of graffiti from Pompeii is, in my opinion, equally as fascinating as the wall paintings, as it truly shows us that humans really have not changed in 2,000 years. It makes the ancient world feel a lot more familiar, and close. If you don’t believe me, I’m going to add some graffiti found at Pompeii (all in translation from usually Latin or Greek). Let me know if any of them sound familiar! (All graffiti quotes have been cited from ‘POMPEII: A sourcebook by Alison E. Cooley and M. G. L. Cooley (2004).’

Commemoration of an architect: ‘Marcus Artorius Primus, freedman of Marcus, architect.’ (67)
Latin poetry composed on the walls:
‘What is happening? Alas, eyes, first you led me into the fire,
Now of your own accord you give generously to your cheeks.
But tears cannot put out the flame;
They inflame the face and melt the spirit.
Composed by Tiburtinus.’ (72)
The Pompeii equivalent of ‘Kelly Was Here:’ ‘Gaius Pumidius Dipilus was here, five days before the nones of October when
Marcus Lepidus and Quintus Catulus were consuls.’ (77)
And last but not least, graffiti about graffiti: ‘I admire you, wall, for not having collapsed at having to carry the tedious
scribblings of so many writers.’ (79)

Why is graffiti so important, you ask? Well, for The Wolf Den, in particular, Elodie has drawn names and situations from graffiti found at Pompeii, and woven them into her story. She has used names of prostitutes and even a name of a gladiator in her story, which is not only incredibly unique, but executed flawlessly.

She wants to scream her rage into the night… Her anger is rising like the sea, drowning her. She has to get out. (284)

The goddess Venus held a special place in Pompeii as the guardian deity of the city, and is sometimes referred to as Pompeian Venus. In The Wolf Den, Venus is an important deity, since she is the Roman goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, and prostitution. In April, the festival known as the Vinalia was celebrated which was held in honour of Jupiter and Venus. Common girls and prostitutes would gather to the temple of Venus to offer her myrtle and mint and ask for things such as beauty, popular favour, to be charming or witty.

Thoughts and Feelings

Holy moly. This book is an absolute masterpiece, and from the moment I started reading it, I found it incredibly challenging to put it down. Not only did Elodie create a phenomenal story rooted in archaeological evidence, but she also explores so many themes and issues that would have been prevalent in the ancient world at the time this novel was set. Overall, Elodie makes the reader realise just how dangerous and difficult it would have been to be a woman in the ancient world.

There’s nothing more truthful than a play, is there… I think comedies are braver somehow. All of life up there on the stage, and actors have the courage to say what one cannot say elsewhere. (257)

The complexity of the story that Elodie has created is completely awe-inspiring and incomparable. It didn’t remind me of anything else I have ever read. Using names left scratched on the walls of Pompeii, Elodie took them and created a new story for them, one which was as equally uplifting as it was savage. Our main five girls are all bonded in a way that no one else could possibly understand, and yet they are all constantly working against each other (in a way) to make money and live. Elodie definitely puts an emphasis on the unbreakable friendship these women have forged through their shared experiences as prostitutes at the Wolf Den, they know each other’s weaknesses and traumas, and do what they can to shield each other, and keep each other safe in a world which is working so hard to break them. Elodie has an ability with words to cut deep, and do it succinctly. She does not use unnecessary words to make a point, her language is blunt, brutal and wholly truthful. She has truly enlightened her readers on how the world would have been perceived by a woman sold as a prostitute in the ancient world. These experiences Amara and her friends experience strike me as completely real and it honestly gave me chills. It reminds you how much more brutal the world was, especially for women, and she does not try and soften that. She presents it raw and uncut. You feel completely immersed in the city of Pompeii. You can feel the suffocating bustle of the women at the Vinalia, you can feel the comradeship of the women as they move through the streets, and you can feel their terror, their hatred, their relief and their love. It is wholly encapsulating.

Warmth spreads through her. She has never had a friend like Dido. She is the light in the darkness of her life. (199)

Other than the focus of women supporting women, even beyond our main characters, is the idea of a human being viewed as an object, and men’s incomprehensible inability to view women as anything more than objects. When I read Classics For Plebs review of this book, she made the observation that this book forces you to come to terms with the fact that women were sold into slavery daily. These women weren’t necessarily always prostitutes, and it shifts the focus of the reader to the fact that these women have absolutely no control over their bodies and their lives, and it was something happening to women all over the ancient world. Our main characters, our point of view for this entire story, the basis of this entire novel is the fact that these women do not have ownership over their own bodies or their lives. They are literally owned by men, and they are treated by the man that owns them, and 99% of men in this story, as if they are nothing more than a mindless object to be used, abused and then discarded.

You wouldn't understand. You’re just a woman (417)
But although they’re talking about her, they’re only talking to Felix, as if she isn’t really there (316)
You invested in quality stock then. Not got any virgins, I suppose? (305)

This story is less focussed on plot, and more on characters and their relationships with others. As the plot continues, the characters develop and new people are introduced, and new relationships are formed, It isn’t an ‘event heavy book, and is focussed on the lives and experiences of Amara and her fellow she-wolves. It is beautifully written, and truly gives a raw insight into what it would have been like to be a woman in the ancient world. These women were once real, and Elodie has composed such complex lives for them, that it is completely and utterly believable. If you’re thinking you might want to pick up this book, this is your sign to do so! If you have read it, leave a comment with your thoughts on the book, or find me over on Instagram @kell_read and we can have a chat about it!!!